Wayne Don began to look forward to their new identities. Noah Bates reached out to feel his forehead, "Your backstage support..."
Includes me.
But he didn't say this out loud. Even if he did, it would probably only elicit a scornful laugh.
He had been absent from their lives for far too long—long enough to lose any right to make promises now.
After learning the news, Wayne had been visibly excited. Violet Don could tell. The father and son appeared to be whispering about something, so she asked suspiciously, "What are you two talking about?"
Their expressions froze simultaneously, as though they had been caught red-handed. Slowly, they turned their heads, their attempts to change the topic strikingly identical, "Uh… nothing, nothing at all!"
Violet stared at Wayne's face. "Your eyes look guilty."
"How… how could that be?!"
Wayne puffed out his chest, as if trying to prove something, then pointed at Noah Bates. "I… I was helping you discipline Young Master Bates!"